Children monitoring the media in Cape Town

Children at Pelican Park Primary, Grassy Park in Cape Town are participating in the Media Monitoring project implemented by the organisation Media Monitoring Africa.  The project encourages child participation in the media. It also ensures media literacy and children's ability to analyse the media when it comes to their rights. The project also improves children's ability to read and write. 

Children interact with the media not only by reading papers, but also through newsroom visits to get a better understanding of how media works and to interact with journalists and editors. The other way is through giving written and verbal feedback to the monitored media - be it complaints or compliments.

Most of the children have been part of the project since 2011. Very few have dropped out in 2012 (due to busy school schedule and being involved in other projects at school). They are between the ages of 11 and 13 in grades 6 and 7.
 
The morning session of today’s programme introduced the children to why people write letters to the editor. The most common reasons are: 

• Commenting on something that is happening
• Complaining about something that was in the newspaper that was offensive, biased, not correct,
• Complimenting the newspaper about something good in the paper

 How to write a letter is also shared. What has to go into the letter, personal details and how to raise the issue and what to avoid in your letter. Children are allowed to write a letters on issues that came up in the papers they monitored. The best letter will win a prize which will be presented tomorrow.

The school is having a Readathon tomorrow, Wednesday 26 September where all grades will participate.  The theme for the event is: Going green...save our environment, save our planet.